Walks from New Mills
MapSet out on beautiful walks directly from the centre of New Mills.
Alternatively, view walks near New Mills by train.
New Mills to Chapel-en-le-Frith
Beautiful Peak District fringe landscape. Valley floor walk with canal towpath and former tramway trail. Historic route tracing pioneering industrial transport infrastructure through Peak District foothills.
Waterway: three quarters along the Peak Forest Canal.
Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Busy road sections; rough ground with old concrete and limestone blocks.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
New Mills to Marple
Spectacular. Canal towpath with residential roads and riverside paths. Scenic canal walk through Peak District foothills along the Peak Forest Canal.
Waterway: almost all along the Peak Forest Canal.
Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Warnings: Muddy sections on towpath.
Walk details: Walk Midlands (tips, photos and local insights).
Hazel Grove to New Mills
A pleasant, varied route with generally solid surfaces, taking in a canal, a river, woodland and farm tracks. It is not very direct, with quite a few steps, stiles, kissing gates and at least one cattle grid and some seasonally overgrown and muddy sections. Visits the outskirts of Lyme Park and passes through Disley three miles from New Mills; adding the Millennium Walkway and the Torrs at New Mills is recommended.
Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.
Lyme Park (National Trust)
Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Lunch: Pubs and a Co-op at Disley, about three miles before the end.
End-of-walk reward: Plenty of cafes in New Mills at the end.
Warnings: There are three crossings of the busy A6; use the controlled crossings nearby rather than crossing where the footpaths emerge. Farm tracks may have slow-moving cars. Steps, stiles and gates. Can be muddy.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Poynton to New Mills
A delightful walk along canal towpath and through pastures and woods, much of it under tree cover, with farm tracks and stiles and occasional steps. The access to the canal at New Mills is steep. The northern edge of Lyme Park can be visited via a detour. Uses the Macclesfield and Peak Forest canals.
Lyme Park (National Trust)
Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)
Lunch: Local shops and pubs in Disley mid-route.
Warnings: A mixed herd of cattle at Barlow House Farm needs care, especially with dogs. The gate at the Red Lane end of Lyme Park is locked at closing time and may be shut without warning in high winds; check National Trust opening times.
Walk details: Slow Ways.